Teachers who wore campaign buttons to school five years ago and posted political messages on classroom doors were exercising their right to free expression in a way that did not detract from their students’ education ...What utter bullcrap! No 'evidence of harm to students'? How would that be measured with any credibility? And, invoking "Charter" rights, "democracy" and "diversity of opinion" is little more than bafflegab to justify teachers pushing their politics on students to further their own self-interest. If "diversity of opinion" is a legitimate "reason" for their ruling, maybe the judges could have explained from whom the students would be getting an opposing point of view.
... “There was no evidence in this case of any actual or potential harm to students from being exposed to the materials about educational issues, nor any facts from which an inference of harm could be drawn, Madam Justice Risa Levine says in a 3-0 ruling that sided with the B.C. Teachers’ Federation (BCTF)...
... “Open communication and debate about public, political issues is a hallmark of the free and democratic society the Charter is designed to protect. Children live in this diverse and multicultural society, and exposing them to diverse societal views and opinions is an important part of their educational experience.” ...
In the classroom teachers have, for many hours each day, a captive audience over which they exercise adult authority and influence. Teachers should be absolutely barred from pushing their politics on students. It's an abuse of their position of power and influence. Teachers have ample opportunity to exercise their "right to free expression" outside the classroom. Besides being able to do it personally, the BCTF does it on their behalf, year-round, day-in, day-out.
A more dumb-assed ruling is hard to imagine.
6 comments:
you didn't know that they ruled this years and years ago. after I graduated I think it was about 15 years after.
"....A more dumb-assed ruling is hard to imagine."
Not really all you have to do is look at any number of rulings since 1982.
Judgements in this country have become as predictable as the next sunrise.
You can damned well bet if the teachers were supporting a Conservative candidate the ruling would have been the opposite.
Roy, No I didn't know that. Is the earlier ruling referenced in the current one?
Anon, I'll concede that this one is a dumb-assed ruling and that other prior rulings could well have been dumber :)
Roy, I just checked the actual ruling ( http://www.courts.gov.bc.ca/jdb-txt/CA/13/02/2013BCCA0241.htm )
It references a 2005 case, "Munroe", which they declare themselves "bound by". So, the judges making the current dumb-assed ruling have simply upheld an earlier dumb-assed ruling.
thats rite JR why do you think the college and high school kids have mock fake elections in there class and why do you think they vote 80 percent NDP. because the teachers nowadays are influencing them. they tell them there cry me a river story of how mean the government is. and why they vote NDP mostly.
Teachers (government employees) are pretty much uniform in their left wing politics.
Civil servants (public union members) are overwhelming in their left wing political preferences.
The law schools and legal community at large are filled with adherents of left wing politics.
Why should we believe that holier than thou judges would be any different in their political biases? They are government employees. Thye are lawyers.
Oh wait, they are judges! They are so much wiser and morally superior than everyone else.
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